02/10/2010

02/01/2010

Seeing as how all communications here are public record, I'll just post the entire email we received.

We use to get this very slight reward, starting at a whopping $50 for 5 years. Apparently management has deemed it unpopular by the public and trying to make themselves look good; or they actually think this was a worthwhile budget cut. Either way its completely pathetic.

Original email sent Thu 1/28/2010 8:19 AMWe all know the budget situation has been extremely challenging the past few years. Thank you for everything you’ve done to help our agency cut spending, and for being good stewards of the public’s money and trust.

The legislature is looking for more ways to cut back to fill the gap in the state budget. And Governor Chris Gregoire has made it clear that she expects agencies to scour budgets for additional savings.

The Department of Health has been among the last state agencies still giving monetary awards for length of service and recognition. Unfortunately, because of the economic challenges we face, that cannot continue. The Senior Management Team has made the difficult decision to immediately suspend monetary awards. It’s been part of our agency culture to find every way possible to show we value our employees, so it’s regrettable that the budget crisis makes this necessary.

Most of our awards have been for employees who reach milestones, like 10 or 15 years in state service, for example. While the individual amounts are relatively small, they add up. In fiscal year 2009, the department gave employees about $27,000 in these awards. The average individual award was around $100.

Employee recognition is always encouraged and will continue in other ways. Staff will still receive pins or certificates to show our appreciation for their important milestones, including retirements.

Let me assure you, your agency management team has the utmost respect and appreciation for your hard work and dedication to public service. We’re in this together.

01/30/2010

I swear there is going to be a revolution in news. You know there's tons of people out in the world doing REAL reporting like Vice is. The news you can get on TV is next to useless, cable or not.

I keep looking for a good online news feed, with no real luck. Drudge is still the best, but the conservative slant is lameo. I guess Huffington is the next best for liberal slant but why so much pop culture nonsense?